I've been out there once, never had a reason to go back. nothing worth visiting that was unique enough to drive so far out.

I have a feeling they expected the museum to play a part in bringing a lot of people but it's not doing that. If you look at Yelp the cafe doesn't get enough business to do more than frozen microwaved pizza. and the reviewer went on a day featuring it as a place to eat! Ouch. think about how poorly they're doing to want to be part of a special event and go with frozen food. If you have ever watched a fix a restaurant show you know selling frozen food is a big sign a place has no foot traffic.

flyingember wrote:I have a feeling they expected the museum to play a part in bringing a lot of people but it's not doing that. If you look at Yelp the cafe doesn't get enough business to do more than frozen microwaved pizza. and the reviewer went on a day featuring it as a place to eat! Ouch. think about how poorly they're doing to want to be part of a special event and go with frozen food. If you have ever watched a fix a restaurant show you know selling frozen food is a big sign a place has no foot traffic.

Applebee's, et al. seem to be doing fine with the microwaved food thing.

My son loves the discovery room in the museum that he calls the "dinosaur house", but it's too small and overpriced in my book. You could probably say the same thing about PF overall at this point. They need the expansion to make it feel more complete.

They've built a lot of apartments in that area though so I wouldn't say that steady foot traffic is out the question if they do it right.

Well now it's mid-September and still no groundbreaking for Phase Two. I wonder if the troubles with the Cinetopia theater have affected the commercial prospects of the development? Supposedly the theater is only making about half the money they expected to, due to AMC having the clout to run some movies exclusively at the Leawood Town Center (the even closer ex-Dickinson Palazzo is apparently not much competition):

mistervinix wrote:Well now it's mid-September and still no groundbreaking for Phase Two. I wonder if the troubles with the Cinetopia theater have affected the commercial prospects of the development? Supposedly the theater is only making about half the money they expected to, due to AMC having the clout to run some movies exclusively at the Leawood Town Center

We went to the theater for the first time last weekend on a Friday night. It was a weird, solemn place (especially for a Friday night). The lobby and other gathering areas at the theater were void of activity. Our seats were not comfortable. The food was marginal. We have no plans to return.

mistervinix wrote:Well now it's mid-September and still no groundbreaking for Phase Two. I wonder if the troubles with the Cinetopia theater have affected the commercial prospects of the development? Supposedly the theater is only making about half the money they expected to, due to AMC having the clout to run some movies exclusively at the Leawood Town Center

We went to the theater for the first time last weekend on a Friday night. It was a weird, solemn place (especially for a Friday night). The lobby and other gathering areas at the theater were void of activity. Our seats were not comfortable. The food was marginal. We have no plans to return.

September is a slow movie time, but I saw the #2 movie last weekend - "Black Mass" - and there were maybe 40-50 people in a theater that holds several hundred. Can't help but think the movie did much better at other locations. I have to wonder if anyone is patronizing the separate restaurant, Vinetopia, too. It seemed dead as well.

They also have changed their popcorn to a cheaper variety. It used to be very "gourmet" as far popcorn goes, now it's not.

The museum itself is fighting to attain financial stability, too. It has obtained a $2.5 million loan with a third-party bank to fund operating costs. Merrill says this is to cover costs during times between traveling exhibits, when ticket sales slow down significantly. "There's six or seven weeks where there's no revenue from ticket sales," Merrill says. "That loan is supposed to bridge that gap."

I'm amazed they built a museum with only traveling exhibits and don't have a plan that doesn't have this much down time.

Well, looks like something has definitely delayed things. Mid December and still no groundbreaking for the final phase.

Meanwhile, Corbin Park next door keeps adding new buildings (but has yet to fill any spaces on the backside of the center). There is also a vast parking lot on the backside that is completely unnecessary. And a two-story parking garage that really only serves JC Penney. What an odd development.

flyingember wrote:That something is probably all the empty spaces on the back side of Corbin Park. When your competitor can't fill spaces only an idiot builds.

135th St has way more retail speculation than the area can support.

Corbin Park still keeps building more pad buildings surrounding the original site - there must be a reason retailers want to be there. A two-story Buster & Dave's is under construction as well next to the JCPenney parking structure. They still have those pesky empty storefronts on the back side though.

So this has to have affected expansion plans for PrairieFire. It seems like a quality development that unfortunately is in the wrong location. It cries out for lots of pedestrian traffic, but everyone has to drive there and then navigate a huge parking garage. There is no compelling reason to walk around the place; the native grasslands/dry swamp walking area next to the museum has no shade and doubtless is brutally hot in the summer. If they can't link up the first phase with something that is really a draw in the second phase, then they should just build another Walmart there and call it a day. Maybe Merrill is cooking up a cool new plan, but the delay is troubling (especially given the robust building going on right next door at Corbin Park).